Herta Muller, 2009 Nobel Prize winner in Literature

Everyday people live under a dictatorship were they are constantly persecuted and censored. For a person, who makes a living as a writer; such circumstances could be unsafe to truly express ones thoughts and opinions. Herta Muller, recent winner of the 2009 Nobel Prize in Literature, understands these conditions of living under the oppression of a dictator. A Romanian-born German novelist and essayist, Muller emigrated to Germany in 1987 after years of censorship. She is the 12th woman to win the Literature prize, said Motoko Rich and Nicholas Kulish authors of "German Who Writes of Exile Wins Nobel" in "The New York Times" on Friday October 9, 2009. Out of her 20 published books around five have been translated into English, including the novels; "The Land of Green Plums" and "The Appointment". Both stories exhibits graphic portrayals of what the average person endures while living under totalitarianism. On Thursday in Berlin, where she lives, at the German Publishers & Booksellers Association, Muller elaborated on what life encompassed during her 30 years spent living under a dictatorship and of friends who did not survive to share their experiences. Recounting her living conditions Muller said, "every day with the fear in the morning that in the evening one would no longer exist." In 1982, Muller began her first collection of short stories which would soon be censored by the Romanian authorities. When writing a feature story, there are multiple structures to choose from, however the writer is free to adapt to whatever structure is suitable for the topic. Profile features typically center on a single person, like Herta Muller, a fascinating woman who spoke out against oppression and collaboration. 'Lyn Marven, a lecturer in German studies at the University of Liverpool who has written about Ms. Muller, said: "It's an odd disjunction to write about traumatic experiences living under a dictatorship in a very poetic style. It's not what we expect, certainly."'

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/09/books/09nobel.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=herta%20muller&st=cse